The air is still chilly here, and the forecast is calling for snow, but the birds have been chirping a lot lately, which is making me think of spring and opening the house up to catch warm breezes. Here’s an easy craft for kids that will help you enjoy those spring breezes when they come (and maybe give you something indoors to do with the kids if it snows again.)

1. Start with paper plates, the cheapest white paper ones you can find. Color both sides with markers or crayons, in any way you like. I would recommend patterns or small pictures (little hearts, maybe) instead of one large picture, as you’ll be cutting it up.



2. Starting on the outside, cut your plate around and around, making a spiral. Thin strips make it longer,thick strips, make it will shorter.



3. Now that your plate is cut, you can lay it back down on the table and add stickers, glitter, beads or sequins- whatever your kids like and you are willing to clean up!
4. Using a hole punch, make a hole at the end of your spiral (at what was formerly the inside of the plate) and attach a loop of yarn or string. Hang up your whirligig by a window to catch the breezes!

I did this craft with a big group of kids, and it kept them happily engaged for about 20 minutes. It might be a fun birthday party activity. And if you add cutout flowers, hearts, eggs. ghosts or ornaments, you could modify it for any time of year.

Last year our projection screen television died.  It was quite exciting.  What sounded like static during a TiVo show quickly escalated into electrical zapping and smoke coming from inside the big box.  After many phone calls, we learned that our model was not worth repairing and we had to get rid of an enormous and heavy TV.  We decided to take as much out of the inside of the TV as we could to make it lighter and easier to move.  As soon as we took out the inner components, my Rooster and I both had the same idea – with minimal effort we could turn this empty frame into a beautiful puppet theater!

This project was amazingly easy and low cost. We already had a few basic tools and I went to the local big box store for inexpensive accessories.  Our kids love the theater and our friends are calling their neighbors who own projection screens to put “dibs” on their TV when it goes.  What a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!  Here’s how we made our theater:

Empty inside of television

After removing the back panel we found out that most of the components are in a large wood box at the base of the TV.  We just had to remove a few screws to slide the box out.  We used a screwdriver (and a hammer and chisel in some spots) to take out as much as we could inside the frame.  Turns out that dismantling stuff is fun!  We left the speakers in place and removed the wires with wire cutters.  We saved the front screen (it makes a great ramp for remote controlled cars) and the reflector panel (I decorated it with markers and the kids use it as a mirror).   We left the side speaker cabinets in the frame as they made great seats for the kids.  Finally, I flipped the front screen rails to hide any sharp edges.

Prepare frame

We used a jig saw on any wood pieces that were sticking out, and a hammer and pliers to remove anything sharp.  All that remained was to lightly sand any rough spots inside.  We were lucky that the inside of our frame was already painted black – perfect!

Accessorize

This is where you can spend a little or a lot on this project!  I used a staple gun to cover everything from the side seats to the floor with heavy-duty fabric.  I purchased three sets of inexpensive curtain rods, and used a drill to mount one on the outside front panel, one on the inside front panel and one on the back.  I also picked up some cheap curtains, two sets of black and one red.  I hemmed the curtains to length and hung the red set on the front and the black sets on the inside and on the back.  I also drilled pilot holes to install small eye hooks for the curtain tie-backs.  I used larger eye hooks to hold a piece of picture wire across the inside of the theater and used small binder clips to hang homemade backdrops from the wire.  Finally, I put two stick-up lights inside the theater so the kids can have backstage lighting.

All that was left was to pop the popcorn and give out tickets to the upcoming show!

Check out the lightbox slideshow below for images of our projection TV Puppet Theater.  Simply click on a thumbnail to start the slideshow. Details and information for each picture are located at the bottom of the image in the slideshow.

Ahh, my favorite time of the holiday season…the week after Christmas.  The crazy hustle and bustle is over and I love that our family can just hang out in our pajamas all day.  This is when we take time to sit down and play with all of the new toys that arrived under our tree.  By New Year’s the initial shine has toned down and the kids start asking to do crafts and other projects.  Our boys love helping out in the kitchen and every winter we take time to make a special treat for our feathered friends.

My oldest son first came home with these birdseed ornaments from preschool.  The ingredients are inexpensive and the ornaments are simple to make.  My two year old helped make them as the Christmas presents he gave last year.  We baked a batch of ornaments this week as part of our “last day of vacation” activities.  The boys had fun deciding which trees to hang the finished ornaments in, and later my dogs were balancing on hind legs trying to figure out how to get at these wonderful smelling objects that had suddenly appeared in our yard.  I’m glad we don’t get bears raiding our bird feeders or they would probably do the same with these ornaments!

Birdseed Biscuit Ornaments

1 tube (10 ea) refrigerator biscuits
1½ cups birdseed
Plastic Container (sandwich size)
Pencil
Cookie Sheet or Baking Tray (with edges to catch extra seeds)
String or Raffia (something safe for birds to use in their nests – not ribbon)

• Pat biscuits flat.
• Pour birdseed into plastic container.  Place flattened biscuit into container and cover with seed.  Press hard to make seeds stick in dough.  Place seed-coated biscuit on cookie sheet.  Use pencil to make hole in biscuit.
• Bake biscuits at 400° for 8 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and open any pencil holes that baked closed.  Let biscuits cool.
• Thread string through holes in ornaments.
• Hang ornaments in trees and watch to see who is first to find the treats!

Recycled Christmas Card/ Wrapping Paper Gift Tags

Supplies Needed:

old Christmas cards

used wrapping paper

ribbon

glue

scissors

Directions:

1. Cut a circle out of an old Christmas card.

2. Cut a slightly larger circle out of wrapping paper.

3. Cut a piece of ribbon 6 or 7 inches in length and fold it in half.

4. Glue the smaller circle over the larger circle with the ribbon sandwiched in between.

5. Trim the end of the ribbon at an angle.

Voila! A beautiful handmade gift tag to brighten up your presents! Thanks, Joy!

It is not uncommon for my daughter to come out of her room in the morning with an outfit that will make us gasp. Maybe it’s leggings, a tiered skirt, shirt and 5 necklaces all in various, uncoordinated colors, or maybe it’s a sundress paired with fleece pants and a long sleeved shirt (to combat the cold). She’s creative when it comes to her fashion, that’s for sure! Now there is a website that may be for her and girls with similar, uh, gifts. We’ve played with websites that let us pick an outfit for a character (human or pony), but Fashion Playtes lets girls design clothes and purchase their creations.

When you look at the Design tab on Fashion Playtes, you’ll see that there are several garments to choose from- dresses, various shirts, leggings, hoodies, headbands and more, available in sizes 6/6x through 14. Once you choose the type of garment you are interested in, the website brings you through all the steps to design that item to your liking. For example, if you choose a tee shirt, you are asked what size, then given options for color, underlayers, ribbon trim, rhinestones, appliques and so on. Your daughter (or granddaughter, niece, etc.) can make her design as simple or as over-the-top as she likes (I know which my daughter would choose!). As you go through the process, there is a price tag right next to the garment that tells you exactly what your creation will cost- a great way for a girl to manage her own money or gift certificate (the site offers gift certificates in various amounts)!

I’ve never ordered a garment so I can’t say for sure, but the website offers several testimonials commenting on the high quality of their items. The prices seem pretty reasonable for the garments, but beware! The more you add to a garment (especially underlayers and ruffles), the higher the cost- and it can add up quickly! For example, I picked a $14 shirt (the Chloe), added underlayers and a ribbon across the middle and suddenly had a $26 shirt. A $25 denim jacket (which is a reasonable price, I think) became $53 when I added trim, an applique and buttons. However, they have a cute, short-sleeved dress (the Audrey) which costs $16. I added rhinestones which brought my final cost to $19. It’s completely dependent on what you add or choose to keep off- which makes it a great lesson in budgeting for kids (I really want the applique- what do I have to give up?)

Fashion Playtes is a fun website that allows creative kids an opportunity to wear their own creations. A gift certificate, as well as the time to do the project together, would be a great Christmas gift. Check it out!

The days are shorter, the bad weather is coming and the children are stir crazy- what’s a parent to do? My six year old daughter frequently keeps herself busy writing and illustrating books on construction paper, so I was thrilled to find out about a website called Storybird. Storybird is a unique site filled with artwork of all kinds- funny animals, princesses, monsters, and many others. Some of the pictures are silly, others are breathtaking- they certainly have a talented pool of artists! (I’ve looked at a lot of the art, and I haven’t come across any picture unsuitable for my kids.) Using the artwork, children (and adults) can write stories of any length which are available to view online (but should be available to print in the future). Here’s the description from Storybird:

What’s Storybird?

Storybird is a service that uses collaborative storytelling to connect kids and families. Two (or more) people author a Storybird—one with words, one with pictures—and then share it with their network. The final product can be printed (coming soon), watched on screen, played with like a toy, or shared through a worldwide library.

How does Storybird work?

It’s simple: someone starts a Storybird by writing a few words or grabbing a few images. Then the other person takes a turn, adding more words and pictures. In one or two turns they can finish and share a Storybird. It’s that easy. And they can do it sitting side-by-side or across the country from each other.

To start out, search either the artwork or the themes available, pick a picture and start the story. Once you have selected the first picture, Storybird gives you a great selection of thumbnails by the same artist to work with. My daughter (with a little typing help from Mom) wrote two stories in about an hour and had a great time doing it! She is currently collaborating on a story with a friend of ours in Washington D.C. We started the story with three pages (but you can do as much or as little as you want), then used the “Invite” option to send it to our friend to add to. It’s a great way to connect and “play” with people you don’t get to see very often, and would be a great activity for friends who have moved apart. Next, I think she’s going to try one with her cousin on the east coast- he’s three and loves to tell stories already! The site is great fun, and any kid can benefit from some creative thinking. And as a parent, it’s fascinating and exciting (and impressive!) to see what your kids come up with.

The next time you’re stuck inside searching for something for the kids to do, give Storybird a try. It’s free, fun, and educational. Who knows what your kids will be inspired to create?

Mapping Your Mail

Every day, you and your kids can make a simple map of where your mail came from and how it got to your home. Here’s how to do it.

Materials

A map of the United States (or whatever country you might reside in)
Pushpins
Colored rubberbands
Corkboard (optional)

1. First, mount your map somewhere that you can push pins into it (I’d recommend a cork board)
2. Place a pushpin on your hometown.
3. Wait for your daily mail to come to your mailbox. Explain to your kids what a return address is on your mail, and place pushpins on the map for each city/state that your mail came from that day.
4. Stretch a rubberband from each of the cities your mail came from to your home.
5. Lead a discussion about the routes the mail took to get to your home. Questions you can ask might include:

• Which mail traveled the farthest distance?
• Which mail traveled the shortest distance?
• How far did the mail travel? (use the map scale)
• What kinds of landscapes did your mail cross: mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts, etc.?
• How many states did the mail cross to get to your home?
• How fast did the mail travel? (use the postmark and map scale to calculate time and distance)
• What direction did the mail travel?
• What is it like in the city where the mail came from?

Let the discussion expand and see what questions your kids come up with too.  And if you have other questions to add to the list or have other ideas on how to get your kids interested in maps and geography, please share them here.  We’d love to hear them.  If your kids are showing a real interest in maps and geography, here are some additional resources that are really great for kids:

• My Wonderful World
• National Geographic’s Geography Action 2009

I have always been in awe of people with creatively carved Halloween pumpkins. At our house, we are lucky to get two eye triangles of approximately the same size. But this is my year! World Wildlife Fund has posted cute, simple wildlife pumpkin stencils on the web. There are several designs: a monarch butterfly, dolphins, gorillas, coral, polar bears, rhinos, tigers, turtles, the African plain, and of course the WWF panda. For all stencils, the pattern must be printed, taped to the pumpkin, then holes are poked around the pattern. The pumpkin is cut using the pattern, leaving you with a beautiful, creative pumpkin! Easy, impressive, and FREE. And what kid doesn’t love animals?

Since 1961, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been working to conserve nature. With almost 5 million global members, they work at every level from grassroots to government to protect natural areas and wildlife with a special focus on endangered species. WWF works to advance science to create a world where human needs are met in harmony with nature. According to Charity Navigator, WWF is a four star (top rated) charity meaning they use donations the way they say they will.

A lot of us carve pumpkins for Halloween, so why not do something other than traditional jack-o-lanterns this year? When you get compliments from your neighbors (and you WILL get compliments), steer them to World Wildlife Fund. The more people know about this first class organization, the closer WWF will get to accomplishing it’s worthwhile goals.

Here’s a slideshow of all the available stencils, plus information on each endangered animal or ecosystem.  Just click a thumbnail to see a larger image and start the slideshow.

Ahh, science. Here at our house, we are quite comfortable with our geekiness and make an effort to pass it along to the kids. While it’s easy to talk about things like littering while on a walk or the birds that visit the backyard, the subject of energy takes some creativity. The people at OWI have been building solar powered toys since 1980, and their easy to build kit gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about energy sources and renewable vs. non-renewable energy, right in our own kitchen. OWI sent the Five Hens a Robotikit 6 in 1 Educational Solar Kit (retail price $19.95) to try out, and the Little Red family was lucky enough to play with it.

The kit is designed for kids ages 10 and up, but in our house we have a 6 year old and a 3 year old, so we did more of the building than would be necessary with older kids. When you first open the 6 in 1 Educational Solar Kit, you’ll find a lot of pieces, mostly plastic, that you have to cut apart. The box states “no tools required” which is true, but separating the pieces was a lot easier with wire cutters. The plastic parts are well made and fit together nicely. It was a bit of a surprise to find that you have to assemble the main components (gearbox and solar cell pod) before you can build the various toys. (If you are doing this with young children, put them together before the kids join you- it will save time and keep them from driving you crazy while you do stuff they can’t help with.) Once you have those two things done and all your pieces separated, you can get to work on the toys! The directions are almost completely illustrated and very easy to follow, and once you get the hang of it the creations go together pretty quickly.

Once we had one built (the Solar Revolving Plane- a prop driven plane on one side of a pillar and a solar cell and counter weight on the other- was our first), we put it by the window to make it go, and… nothing. We had unwisely decided to try this toy during the first snowstorm of the season, so the sky was very overcast. But in the directions it says that you need a sunny day OR a 100 Watt or greater halogen light. We pulled a garage work light inside, shined it on the cell, and voila, we had a working solar toy!

Now you may be picturing a little plane slowly revolving around a pillar, but let me tell you, this thing really goes! The kids squealed with laughter as it zipped around in circles, then quickly slowed down as soon as the light was removed. The Solar Car zoomed around the kitchen floor (not so fast that it would get away from you outside, but your kids would have to hustle), stopping only when we ran out of cord for our light. The Solar Airboat was a favorite, as we put it in a pan of water to watch it go. Our kids really liked the Solar Windmill (which surprised us a bit) and tried it with all the various propellors as well as the windmill blades. They had fun predicting what would happen with the different sized blades, and then testing their theories. (Welcome to the Scientific Process, my children.) And once they were comfortable with the kit, they were able to help with the building, which involved them even more. And we did “Parent Tests”: we all stuck our hands in the spinning blades (it doesn’t hurt or cause injury, and even my 3 year old laughed at it) and I grabbed the wires (which are exposed) with no effect (the toy runs at 1.2 volts, according to the manufacturer). The only one we had any trouble building was the Solar Puppy: you have to get the wires through little holes in a small space, making them tricky to loop through and connect. One complaint: the wires frayed out at the ends, so we had to keep twisting them to connect them. If there was a solid, crimped-on end or the wire strands were soldered together, assembly would be a bit easier.

The 6 in 1 Educational Solar Kit is a fun gizmo that teaches kids about solar energy as well as basic mechanical assembly. A 10 year old would be able to do most of it alone, but even for the younger set it’s fun and provides a lot of discussion opportunities. The company offers several solar kits as well as robotic building kits for beginner builders through advanced, which require some soldering experience (and makes Little Red Hen’s Rooster say “sweeeeeet”). We know that using a 300 watt Halogen light to play with a green energy educational toy is pretty hypocritical, but the toy is lots of fun and we will try it out in the sun as soon as we get a chance!

Golden Egg Rating

Overall, we give the 6 in 1 Educational Kit 5 out of 5 Golden Eggs.  It’s educational, a great hands on example of solar energy at work, and it’s an awful lot of fun.  It’s also reasonably priced, which certainly helps.  And it uses exactly zero batteries, which is always a plus in our house.

Every week I go to the library and check out about 15 children’s books to read at night to my children.  Well this week, one of the books, Silly Billy by Anthony Browne, had a big impact, quite by accident, with our family.  This book is about a little boy who worries a lot.  His grandmother gives him some worry dolls to put under his pillow.  The story explains that you are suppose to give each doll one of your worries and they will do the worrying for you while you sleep. When we were done reading, my son asked me if we could make some worry dolls.  This surprised me. I asked him if he worried about things and he said he did.  I had no idea he worried and of course this worried me.  You know how us moms can be, I flew into a panic that my son had anxiety issues.  After I calmed down, we all agreed to make worry dolls the next day.

Well, I had no idea how to make something called a worry doll. I had never heard of them.  So I got on the internet and Googled worry dolls.  To my shock, I found tons of websites about worry dolls and how to make them.  We decided to make our worry dolls from clothes pins, and we decorated them with googly eyes, pre-cut cloth squares for clothing, yarn hair and magic marker for the mouths and noses.  That night, my son gave a worry to each doll, put them under his pillow and went to sleep.  The next morning he got up and happily told me he slept wonderfully thanks to his worry dolls.  I was a happy mom again!

So give worry dolls a try and maybe they’ll put your kids worries to sleep too.  Here are some worry doll websites to take look at:

• Wisegeek.com: What are worry dolls?
• WikiHow: How to make a worry doll
• Disney Family: How to make worry dolls
• Global Marketplace: Fair Trade Worry dolls (in case you don’t want to make one,you can buy them too)

My little guy and I just had a blast making playdough together. It’s a fun, easy activity that everybody can help with, is easy to clean up, and has an end result you can enjoy for a long time. And it’s cheap to make! You will probably have to experiment with colors a bit. My son wanted orange, and we had to add a lot of yellow before it didn’t look like a big spaghetti dinner followed by a stomach virus. I got my recipe from Discovery Toys a long time ago.

Homemade Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
3 dessert spoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Add a few drops of food coloring if you like. Keep mixing until all lumps have been blended (I use a whisk). Put the mix in a saucepan (or just mix it in the saucepan) and cook it very slowly over medium heat. Stir continuously, and when the dough starts to come away from the side of the pan, take it off the heat. Remove the playdough from the pan (ADULTS DO THIS- IT IS HOT!) Let it cool a bit on plastic wrap, then have fun!